We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

Animal Defenders of Westchester
P.O. Box 205
Yonkers, NY 10704

CampaignsGo Vegan / Vegetarian

Queens schools serves all-vegetarian fare

School 244 in Flushing, Queens, becomes first
public school in nation to serve only vegetarian meals: officials

Active Learning Elementary School is part of a citywide effort to
promote healthy food.

Schools
Chancellor Dennis Walcott and student Arianna Francisco have a
vegetarian meal together on Tuesday at PS 244.

There's no “mystery
meat” at one Queens public elementary school.

Public School 244 in
Flushing is the first public school in the nation to serve
all-vegetarian meals for breakfast and lunch, according to city
education officials.

Crystal Gu, schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, and Arianna Francisco
enjoy a vegetarian lunch. Walcott says the all-vegetarian food system
should be replicated at schools across the city and nation.

Chefs at
the Active Learning Elementary School have swapped chicken, turkey and
ham for black beans, tofu and falafel, and kids are digging in with
delight.

“This is so good!” squealed 9-year-old Marian Satti,
devouring her black bean and cheddar cheese quesadilla Tuesday at lunch.
“I’m enjoying that it didn’t have a lot of salt in it. ”

On the menu is black bean and
cheddar quesadillas with salsa and roasted potatoes. The kids are
digging into the vegetarian fare with gusto. “This is so good!” squealed
9-year-old Marian Satti.

The students
are pioneers in a citywide effort to make healthy food a staple of every
child’s day.

Public
School 244, above, partnered with nonprofit New York Coalition for
Healthy School Food to design vegetarian recipes.

Schools Chancellor
Dennis Walcott, who often crows about maintaining a fit lifestyle,
said the launch of the vegetarian food-fest should be duplicated in
schools across the city and country.

“I don’t eat fried foods. I
don’t drink soda. I try not to have sweets too often,” said Walcott, who
tested the veggie victuals. “And that’s what we want for our students
... to make sure they eat healthy both at home and school.”

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott,
who is calling for the all-vegetarian effort to be expanded, is known
for adhering to a healthy lifestyle. "That’s what we want for our
students ... to make sure they eat healthy both at home and school,” he
said.

A-rated PS 244 partnered with nonprofit New York Coalition for
Healthy School Food to design recipes for appetizing plant-based grub.

Walcott places carrots onto the
tray of Arianna Francisco. Salad bars have been installed in 1,000
schools, and they’ll be a fixture at all 1,800 facilities by the end of
the next academic year.

“We believe that, if we taught kids to make
healthy choices, it would help them to grow as students and well-rounded
children,” said Principal Robert Groff, who helped found the school in
2008.

City public schools have undergone a “revolution” in cafeteria
fare since Mayor Bloomberg took office, according to Eric Goldstein,
chief executive of the Office of School Support Services for the city
Education Department.

The ongoing evolution of cafeteria grub has led
schools to serve only whole-grain breads and pastas. Salad bars have
been installed in 1,000 schools, and they’ll be a fixture at all 1,800
facilities by the end of the next academic year.

Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the
copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational use on
the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for
in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted
material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.